Half TimeRound 3
by bhut
Summary: Sequel to Round 2. S.H.I.E.L.D. is worried in regards what else Grant may have in his stolen Hydra files, while Bobbi retuns to Grant for another rematch.


**Half Time**

 _Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to Marvel™._

"And so, you take few weeks off, May, and things fall apart – Jemma gets captured by an alien stone; Ward finds some very sensitive information and uses it against us," Coulson spoke up weakly, and stopped altogether, when Melinda just looked stonily at him. "What?"

"You said – I took time off," May said gruffly. "Let's start with the traitor. What and how?"

"I got the computer specialists – including Skye – to look at the file," Coulson said slowly, "and no, it is not doctored. These are not actors. That was really Morse helping Bakshi helping Whitehall operate on Jemma. May-"

"Morse should've told us about this, Gonzales – may he rest in peace – should've told us about this; _that_ is her sin," May said simply, but Coulson knew her better than the others did (though Skye came close lately) and so he looked up sharply at her:

"You believe that?"

"...No," May confessed, reluctantly. "I never liked her. There was something about her that was wrong, something that was familiar-"

"Ward expressed it quite well," Coulson said quietly. "It took him a few weeks to figure it out since their last confrontation, but I would say that he makes a good point."

"Why did you even allow him to talk?" May fired a sudden question.

Coulson raised an eyebrow.

"You could've switched him off, cut him off-"

"He said please. He wanted to apologize. A leopard cannot change his spots, but there _was_ something different about him," Coulson explained reluctantly. "Of course-"

"Can I see?"

Even more reluctantly, Coulson opened the recorded depiction of Ward. Pausing, before the latter could speak, he turned to May.

"Well?"

May looked at Coulson, Coulson – at May. "Well?"

"He has suffered," May said simply. "Is this what you wanted for him?"

"I don't want anything from him," Coulson shook his head. "We gave him a place on the team, we gave him friendship and trust – he threw it into our faces. We tried to give him a second chance, to become an important and useful asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. – all he did was to harass Skye in exchange." He paused. "And then he escaped, worked for Hydra, worked for us, but all the time – worked mostly for himself. Kara Lynn paid for this – but other people always paid for Ward's actions."

"Not just Ward."

"You are defending him?"

"He is a traitor – but he is not unique. So was Garrett, let's be honest here."

"Yes, but," Coulson paused. "It's personal-"

"Garrett was your friend too, once."

"Yes, but," Coulson said unhappily, before pausing and choosing his words carefully. "Garrett...I don't know. The fact that Ward actually seemed to realize what he had with us, and threw it away all the same, makes him seem...different." Another pause. "Or maybe he never did, just like Garrett. I may be wrong. It doesn't matter anymore."

May looked as if she wanted to say something more, but instead what she said was: "Now what?"

"We try to find Morse. We try to find Ward."

"He's with Hydra – the file was initially Bakshi's, may he rot-"

"Maybe. Ever since Palomas has died, Ward has gone to the ground, again. Agents Plato and Bloch, who are keeping an eye on Hydra, confirm that they have not seen him; in fact, any of his involvement with Hydra are just rumored-"

"Yet he has Hydra's files. What he's been doing with them?"

"So far – nothing," Coulson confessed. "In fact, ever since he's gone offline, he's... gone offline. We are searching for him, but-"

"But?"

"He's not the man to be found via just some vague rumors," Coulson said calmly. "Plus..."

"Plus?"

"We don't want to flush him – he might destroy the files," Coulson confessed. "Bakshi's files, anything that he found that was left from Whitehall-"

"You think that he has more?"

"Even that file alone could bring back the anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. hysteria," Coulson said flatly. "So far, Ward hadn't used it, or anything else-"

"I'll find him, and bring back the files," May said simply. "I might need help with the latter, however. The files might be heavy, as they'd been in Cybertek."

"What are we talking about?" Fitz, followed by Skye, had actually entered Coulson's office, unnoticed.

/

"What are we talking about?" Fitz asked Coulson and May.

"How to get files from Ward, if he has any," Coulson said simply.

"Okay," Fitz shrugged. "When are we going?"

"Fitz..." Coulson began a warning, but the younger man, amazingly, interrupted him.

"No. Do not Fitz me. If we're to negotiate with Ward successfully, you'll need me."

"We're not going to negotiate with Ward – S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't negotiate with traitors and terrorists-"

"Maybe I can talk him into giving them up for free," Fitz shook his head. "I've seen him too – remember? He is hurting over the loss of his love, just as I am. Maybe-"

"Excuse me? He didn't love Kara Lynn – he's incapable of loving anyone!" Skye snapped.

"Excuse you! You got over him – he got over you, it's a possibility, live with it!"

"Excuse me? I was never into him – he is a lying Hydra scumbag-"

"So what's your problem with Kara Lynn, then?"

"I have no problems with her. Plus she is dead-"

"Exactly!" Fitz turned back to the senior agents. "Director, I think that agent Quake should sit this one out. If she actually riles up Ward-"

"Fitz. Why do you think that Ward will help you?" Coulson said quietly, but Leo immediately became more sombre and professional. "Remember what happened last time you tried to help him? You got thrown to the bottom of the sea."

"Yes, and then, when I came later to show him just what exactly he has done, he was taking it," Fitz was holding his ground, "and when he learned that Simmons and the rest of you were confronting Gill, he helped! He explained about the whole brainwashing thing too – he did not try to use it to his advantage. He is – he is one of us. He is messed-up, crazy, somewhat evil, but he is one of us. Sort of," Fitz turned to Skye. "And Morse – and whoever she hangs around with – isn't."

"Agent Morse is loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. Ward never was," Coulson began. Fitz gave him a look.

"Sir, you're our leader, and Ward – I remember what he has done to us, to me and Jemma, but what Morse had the Hydra do to her? It is not better. Maybe she had an excuse – but she did not even try to use it. She, Mack and others they did not consider us to be the same as them! Maybe Mack and the others do, but even he is keeping his distance, and, and there's a general feeling of division in the ranks-"

"Some agents think that Morse did nothing wrong and talk about Jemma...you really don't want to hear this," Skye grimaced. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can be something of a boys' club, yes, but that is something else – and it's nasty. It's not Hydra, but it's nasty."

"I see," Coulson looked even more upset by this revelation than Skye was. (So was May, of course, but she did not show it.) "Ok, here are the basics of the plan. So far, Hydra activity is supposed to be centered in Texas-"

"Seriously?" Skye involuntarily interrupted her father figure, before settling back down, embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just that – Texas? Of all the places we've been to..."

"Acknowledged," Coulson said with a wry smile. "Now you're going to Texas – this is a primarily fact-collecting mission, so do not engage. If Ward is there – and he may not be – still do not engage, but see what he is up to. And if he is not, act according to circumstances." He paused and added. "Hopefully, Ward doesn't have too many new friends yet..."

/

 **Round 3**

At the site of Kara Lynn's grave it was night. Grant Ward, uncaring about most things in the world, was phlegmatically sitting at its foot and sipping beer.

 _Kara Lynn..._

"...you deserved a better fate", he told his late friend. "You should've met a better friend, latched onto a better man-"

"That's for sure," Bobbi Morse nodded, emerging from darkness.

"When I was talking about a better friend, I was talking about you," Grant said conversationally, offering the newcomer a can of beer with one hand, and holding a knife in the other. "You just couldn't make a simple honest apology, could you? You're mentally incapable of it or something?"

"I should really shoot you," Bobbi muttered, as she fingered her pistol; then her gaze met Grant's, and she stiffened.

"The first reason why I haven't killed you yet is because I have stopped being a killer," Grant said conversationally. "At least I am trying to. And the second reason? I am honestly curious as to why you are here. I know what sort of monster am I, Bobbi Morse – I am a monster of fire. You, I suspect, are a monster of stone instead-"

"You insult me, and I am here to offer you a job-"

"No thank you, I am _not_ a gun for hire-"

"I'm talking about a permanent position. At S.W.O.R.D."

For the first time in this conversation Grant Ward was stumped. "What is that?" he asked with a genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Sentient World Observation and Research Department," Bobbi said, getting into her sales pitch, "it's a counter-terrorism and a research agency, aimed against alien threats, like the one that had eaten Dr. Simmons."

"Fascinating, but what this has to do with me?" Grant shrugged. "Plus I honestly don't think that your higher-ups will care to fight with Coulson or Fury over me."

"Phil Coulson will have no jurisdiction in our department," Bobbi Morse said matter-of-factly, "and Fury...I don't think Fury even knows about you – after the Asgardians and Ultron you're not even a small fish, but a mediocre one. I'm sure that after you settle in S.W.O.R.D. and begin to shine there once again, Fury will not even be interested in dragging up your past – not when he seems to be going against both Hill _and_ Stark."

"This is fascinating, but again – I am not interested," Grant shook his head. "I am done with my past career, all right. All that is left is closure, and I am almost done with that. I think I am going to live the rest of my life as somebody else – maybe a private citizen..."

"Forever hiding from S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra and anyone else who'll come after you?" Bobbi replied, mockingly. "Or perhaps – you'll live the rest of your life in one of their cells? Or – with your memory erased, making most of your life a waste? You claim to be a truthful man now – say honestly that your life so far was a waste, and you'll never see or hear from us again - _honestly_."

"I see," and Grant grew genuinely thoughtful at the last part. Yet after several minutes of hard thinking, he shook his head. "No, it wasn't a waste, that I admit. Yet it never had anything to do with aliens, either."

"Lies again," Bobbi said with a mocking grin. "We have proof that you _are_ interested in aliens-"

"-as a hobby," Grant said firmly. "Even Hydra-trained monsters can have personal hobbies, however strange they are. Name one time when I was involved in an alien-related project _officially_ – S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, whatever – honestly."

"Well, maybe Whitehall and his thingamajig," Bobbi muttered, realizing that this was not very convincing. "Seriously, yes, you've got a point here. But look at it from this angle – at S.W.O.R.D. you can engage into this hobby full time. I mean, you have got to do _something_ if you are done with S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why not work on your hobby full time? What _were_ you and Kara Lynn going to do?"

"Kara Lynn was going to be a gynecologist," Grant said quietly. "Her diploma from the online courses came through the mail only hours ago. If it came a few days ago, then we would have never kidnapped you... I got my diploma – for homeopathy – a few days earlier..." he shook his head. "Me and Kara Lynn would've really lived a normal life, you know?"

"Oh," Bobbi looked deflated for the first time since their latest confrontation began. "I see," she kicked at the ground. "Before everything, before Whitehall captured her, she was a field medic, you know?"

"Yes, the two of us suspected something along these lines," Grant said evenly. "Are we done?"

"Almost," Bobbi thought some more. "I don't understand it – you want to live a new life, we offer you a new life, and yet you don't take it-"

"I don't trust you," Grant said flatly. "If I had talked to someone like Mack, or Weaver, I may've been more interested in the offer. You – I don't trust."

"What? But then why call me out-"

"Because I had to do it," Grant shrugged. "Look, I don't like myself, but I don't like you either."

"Oh," Bobbi drummed her fingers. "Ok, how's this – for one last deal. You help me deal with a potentially-Hydra/alien situation in Dallas, and we will see how it goes? Maybe you will like working for S.W.O.R.D., who knows? And if not – I promise you will not hear from us again, you'll be free to vanish into obscurity that you're so set upon, though I'm not sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. will let you do that – especially not after you've put one over Coulson once again so soon."

"And if I'll like working for you people? What then? What _can_ you offer me other than aliens that I may or may not be interested in?" Grant suddenly asked as he led Bobbi away from the cemetery, showing apparent curiosity for the first time tonight.

"That you will have to ask my superiors – after all, you don't like me," Bobbi replied sarcastically. "But even I can tell you that working for S.W.O.R.D. can give you things that you want and need so badly – a chance to be a man, a chance to be a hero, and a clean slate with which to start this...where are we going?"

"To my car," Grant replied, as he led the blonde to massive grey van. "The situation is in Dallas, we're in a few hours away from Dallas by car, and I want to know what we're getting into before we get into it – or do you expect to get by plane _everywhere_?"

"Good points," Bobbi said brightly. "I think that I am going to enjoy working with you – _partner_."

"Let's wait and see, _partner_ ," Grant replied in his robotic best and the car vanished into the night.

End


End file.
